Cornell University - Ryan Scholars Programs

The Robert L. Ryan Scholars Program is named in honor of Cornell Alumnus Robert L. Ryan (MS EE '68). Ryan presently serves on the Board of Trustees for Cornell University and served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Medtronic, Inc., the world's leading biomedical technology company, from 1993 until his retirement in April 2005. Mr. Ryan was Vice President, Finance, and Chief Financial Officer of Union Texas Petroleum Corp. from 1984 to 1993, Controller from 1983 to 1984 and Treasurer from 1982 to 1983. Prior to 1982, Mr. Ryan was Vice President at Citibank and was a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. My Ryan is deeply committed to the success of aspiring engineers, especially those from underrepresented populations, and is an extraordinary role model to the current and future generations of leaders.

The Ryan Scholars Program annually enrolls a cohort of 24-30 students that through the admissions process are invited or required to participate in the university's Pre-Freshmen Summer Program. The average entering cohort size over the last three years (2010-2012) is 25 scholars. Through the admissions process, all of the scholars have displayed the demonstrated potential to be successful as engineering students. However, they are selected for participation in the Pre-Freshmen Summer Program due to multiple background characteristics that place them at risk and that may hinder their persistence in engineering. These characteristics include any combination of two or more the following: low resourced high school, low SES, first generation college (FGC) student, English as a second language, single parent household, limited access to rigorous AP Math and Science coursework, etc…
The Ryan Scholars Program has a strategic structure that provides Ryan Scholars with every opportunity to succeed as engineering undergraduate students and beyond. The program is grounded in developing a supportive community of scholars that focuses on the success of the individual as well as the success of the collective group. The core components of the program include the following: